Masseter Muscle: Location, Actions, and Trigger Points

The masseter is a jaw muscle that gets its name from the Greek work “to chew”. It is the major muscle of mastication (chewing) of the human jaw and serves primarily to elevate the mandible (lower jaw) while the deep tissues help to protrude (protract) it forward. Located on each side of the face in the parotid1 region at the back of the jaw, these muscles are easily visible or palpable when you clench your jaw, as they contract strongly just in front of the lower ears.

The masseter muscle can easily become chronically tense with trigger points and it is the most likely muscle to cause sever problems with opening the jaw. As mentioned above, the muscle is highly active and is among the first to tense when we are in emotional distress or when we are concentrating deeply or angry. This tension can go on for extended periods of time so that the masseter is likely to be a problem at some point for almost everyone. Read on…